Point of View
by Smenzer
Summary: Ares/Gabrielle fic. Gabrielle accepts Ares offer of a job. Written in First Person. CHAPTER 2 NOW UP!
1. Default Chapter

Title: Point of View  
  
Author: Smenzer  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Pairing: Ares/Gabrielle  
  
Archive: Yes, please. Let me know if you take it, OK?  
  
Teaser: Ares offers Gabrielle a job  
  
Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. They belong to Studios USA or  
  
Whoever owns the Rights to Xena: Warrior Princess. This is just for fun. No money is being made.  
  
  
  
I didn't believe it when he first came to me. I thought he was joking. I mean, who wouldn't? But he insisted he was sincere. I couldn't understand what he wanted with me. I thought it must be some plot to get at Xena. After all, Xena is the famous one, not me. I'm just a bard. Or I'm trying to be one. Xena's the real hero. She's the one that saves people, slays monsters and does all that incredible stuff. I don't know how she does it all! I travel with her every day and I still don't understand all her moves. Some of the things I've seen her do right before my very eyes seem like make-believe but they're real!  
  
So I asked Ares: What do you want from me?  
  
And he told me he wanted a bard. Seems like this one other God, someone I had never heard of, had made a very bad prediction. This had all the Gods worried. The prediction had been that some time in the future people would stop believing in them and that when that happened they would cease to exist. Well, Ares admitted they were not sure about the "ceasing to exist" part but they were very worried anyway. Then he continued to explain that HE had a plan to make sure that fate never happened to him.  
  
I laughed. How could people not believe in the Olympian Gods?  
  
Then Ares reminded me that before I had started traveling with Xena I had never seen a God before. He was right.  
  
So the answer seemed clear to me. All he had to do was appear to more people so they could see him.  
  
I could see right away Ares wasn't too crazy about this. For one, he didn't have the time o do this. Second, he pointed out some people might actually get frightened. Frightened! Of Ares! Who could imagine such a thing! Then he asked me if I was scared of him. I laughed and told him I wasn't. I still didn't understand why Ares wanted with me.  
  
Then he told me. He said he wanted me to write about him, like I do with Xena. He pointed out it wasn't Xena's actions that made her famous but me writing about them. People would pass the scrolls around and read them. Scholars would make copies and send them to various libraries across the known world. Story tellers would memorize my scrolls and tell the stories to others.  
  
I was speechless.  
  
Was Xena's fame all my doing? Did my writings really have such a huge impact on the world, on history? Why, I can't even right action!  
  
And now Ares wanted me to do the same for him. He hoped it would be enough to save him from a fate he claimed would be worse than death. At least with death there was an afterlife. But no one knew what happened to Gods when people stopped believing in them.  
  
I thought of all the bad things Xena had told me about Ares, her dread warnings to stay clear of him. But I knew I wasn't frightened of him. His powers didn't scare me. Nor had he ever tried to harm me. Then he made me an offer that was very hard to refuse. He said he could show me things that Xena never could. I had originally started to travel with Xena to see the world and yet be safe. Xena provided the safety that I needed and I followed her where ever she went. In return I cooked and made camp. But I could see a lot more if I traveled with a God. Ares assured me he did many interesting things inside of a day, went to lots of places. Why, he could show me things a mortal had never seen before!  
  
I thought about it and was tempted. And I must admit I was curious as to what a God did all day. Especially what Ares did all day. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I knew very little about Ares. Where did he live? In one of his temples? Up on Olympus in a palace? Did Gods have to wash? Where do they get Ambrosia from? Did he have any pets? There were huge gaps in information on the Gods and this was a truely unique oppurtunity to fill them in.  
  
But should I trust Ares? Was he telling me the truth? Or was this a new scheme he had cooked up to catch Xena and I was the bait?  
  
It would do very little good if it were a scheme because Xena wasn't here. She had left on some secret mission she had claimed was far too dangerous for me to go with her. I figured out long ago that just means she's going to do something she doesn't want me to know about. A list of possibilities runs through my head, none of them very nice. Xena does have her bad habits. She didn't give them all up. I doubt if she ever will. I guess she doesn't want the readers to know everything about her.  
  
I thought about his offer as Ares waited for my reply. I could sit here on this rock until Xena returned, which would be about a week. Maybe two. Or I could go with Ares. The idea of going with him was kind of exciting, I must admit. I thought of all the incredible things he could show me. I had no idea what they would be but surely they'd be amazing!  
  
He held out his hand. "Come with me, Gabrielle. Write about me."  
  
I took his hand. Ares was right. I was the one who made Xena famous.  
  
~ Gabrielle  
  
  
  
My stomach twisted for a brief moment and then we appeared in a huge high cealinged room. Marble pillars were equaly spaced and torches hung from elaborate schones on the dark stone walls. I let go of Ares' hand and saw we were the only ones there. Doubt flickered across my mind. Had I made a mistake coming here with him? I could see this was not one of his temples. It was far too large. It was more like the great room of a palace, so I presumed we were up on Olympus somewhere. Which made me even more nervous. It meant I couldn't leave if Ares didn't want me to. You needed a God to take you down to the mortal world. Did Ares have some other reason for bringing me here than what he had told me? A possibility occured to me then, one I had not thought of just a few moments before and I mentally kicked myself for not thinking of it.  
  
Before I could think of more dark thoughts, Ares called my name. He motioned for me to follow him, so I did. We climbed a great staircase, the stairs themselves made from gray marble. Everything was clean and spotless. I never had any idea that Ares had owned such a fantastic place. The more I saw, the more curious I became about the God of War. I had thought I knew of him from Xena, but somehow the remarks she had made just didn't fit. There were paintings on the wall in gilted golden frames. Statues lined the halls along with ornate mirrors and breathtaking vases. I knew the things must cost cost a fortune. But then he was a God. What else did I expect?  
  
Finally we stopped before a tall double door. Ares opened it and told me this would be my bedroom while I stayed with him. I was amazed! The doors were twice as tall as me and so fancy. The room had a thick rich red carpet covering the stone floor. When I stepped on it, my feet sunk way in. The bed was one of those canapie beds I had once heard about but had never expected to see. Ares followed me into the room and pointed out other items: a writing desk with a special wheeled chair, a pair of bookcases to hold scrolls, a large cabinet that held writing supplies like ink and fresh scrolls. The room also had a balcony overlooking a beautiful garden in full bloom. Colorful birds with amazing fan tails bobbed their heads as they walked among the flowers. Ares told me they were his mother's prize peacocks and that I was the first mortal to ever lay eyes apon them. He also explained Hera would not harm me as long as I did not injure her birds but I was welcome to look at them. He then left me alone to settle in and explained that his room was right down the hall.  
  
I still found it hard to believe I was up on Mount Olympus. But I was. And I was going to be working with Ares. So I gathered the supplies I would need and left the room to find him. I didn't have to go far. I found him in what he called the War Room. It was a large room that had maps on the wall. I recocnized Greece right away. It was the most detailed map that I had ever seen! It seemed to have every town, mountain, bridge and river on it. And it was in color! I ran my hand over it, amazed. There were other maps on the walls as well. I soon discovered these showed a much larger area, the countries around Greece. A few maps were totally new to me and Ares explained these places were on the other side of the world! Mortals wouldn't know they existed for a very long time yet. And I did. That made me feel very special, that Ares would trust me with such information.  
  
Ares explained what he did here was plan the defense of Greece. He knew the ruler of each kingdom, their armies and everything. He knew who was strong, who was weak and who should no longer be in charge. Then he would arrange things so they were best for Greece. Other countries, like Rome, would try to take over someday and he had to have our armies ready for that.  
  
Then he took my hand and we did his daily rounds. He had to visit each temple he had, showing himself to his high priests. They called him Lord Ares and were quite surprised to see me! But they wisely didn't say anything, just did as Ares commanded. Ares explained that his priests were sort of like cooks. A cook prepares food before one eats it. The priests take the prayers from his worshippers and focus it so he may deal with them easier. He said otherwise it would be too difficult for me to understand what they really did. Of course, the priests did other things, too. They kept his temple clean, cared for weapons, spoke to the people so the people knew what Ares desired of them and trained in combat. They also taught new novices how to be priests in Ares' temple.  
  
All this popping about, which Ares said was called Teleporting, left me a bit dizzy. I had seen so many temples already but Ares was not done yet. Next he took me to his very first temple high on a mountain. There was no priests here, just the two of us. I saw right away this place was very different. In fact, it was filled with mountains of treasure! My mind whirled as I tried to take it in. Gold, silver, platinum, jewels, weapons, vases, all sorts of valuable items! My heart raced as I noticed something huge moving among the treasure. A giant golden eye with a long black slitted pupil stared at me. The creature shifted and I saw it was a giant brown mottled snake! Even traveling with Xena I had never seen a monster so large and frightening. I covered my mouth so I wouldn't scream and felt Ares tighten his hold around my slim waist. He whispered that the snake was his and I had nothing to fear from it; it was just a guardian for his treasure. The thing slithered closer and snuffled at me and then disappeared from sight. My heart was beating so fast I thought it would surely break free of my ribcage! Ares had been right when he promised to show me things I had never seen before! I just hoped he had nothing else of that nature waiting somewhere! One giant snake pet was enough, thank you!  
  
Later after we had left the treasure cave I had asked him why he had taken me there. He apoligized quickly, saying he had never meant to frighten me with his pet. He also said the pet was necessary, as people do try to break into the place and steal stuff from him. This I could understand. I know some people would risk their lives for treasure like that. It reminded me of the dragon's mythical horde. I knew for a fact Auto would love to know about that place! Ares surprised me next by giving me an exquisite gold necklace studded with diamonds. I told him I couldn't possibly accept such a gift. But then he reminded me that I was an Amazon Queen after all and Queens should have some fancy jewelry. Smiling at me, he put the necklace around my neck and said something about being a good provider. After stepping back and admiring the necklace around my throat, Ares took me to dinner.  
  
I soon discovered that Ares was very intelligent, more intelligent than Xena gave him credit for. He had many more interests than just war. For one, he breeded horses and said Argo had originally came from his stables. He also knew about mathamatics, something called science which he planned to teach me and a lot more stuff. He had also read my scrolls, every single one! I blushed in shame, that a God would actually read something that I wrote. And not that very long ago hadn't he been on my case because I couldn't write action? Well, I had learned action writing since then so maybe I was improving at my craft. I still found it very hard to believe Ares had offered me this job. I was sure they were a lot better, more experienced bards out there than me.  
  
It was late so I retired to my too fancy bedroom. It was a room fit for a Queen. A real Queen, someone like Cleopatra. I found a frilly, almost transparent nightgown in the walk-in closet and put it on. Opening the glass doors, I walked out onto the balcony and gazed into the night sky. The sky was rich velvet and stars were everywhere, not only above but to all the sides as well. I think I saw a fluffly piece of cloud just beyond the roses and remembered I was up on Olympus. Things were bound to be different here. I was up high somewhere in the sky, not under it looking up as one normally did.  
  
The thought of Ares bringing me here for another reason flickered through my mind again. Oh, I was sure he was telling the truth about me writing about him, but I wondered if there was more he was not saying yet. I fingered the necklace and tried to guess what it could possibly be. But it was late and my mind was fogged with sleep. I would try to figure it out tomorrow, as I learned more about the real Ares. For I had already sensed there were two Ares. The public Ares, that snarled, threatened and acted tough. Then there was the other Ares that hardly anyone ever got to see, the one that was gentle and cared, the one that was a true gentleman. I had seen him briefly when he gave me the necklace, his dark eyes shining with some emotion I could not identify right away. I knew I should have known what it was, but I'm not used to seeing those emotions from him and the precious gift had truely shocked me. Tomorrow I would pay closer attention to him.  
  
Gabrielle,  
  
Bard of Olympus 


	2. Early Morning Exploring

The next morning I awoke and felt totally refreshed. It was amazing what sleeping in a real bed could do for you! It was so big and soft, just like the cloud I had seen out the window. Stretching my arms high above my head, I crawled out of bed and walked out onto the balcony.  
  
Outside, I saw it was still very early. In fact, the sun was just rising. The sky before me was a very dark blue with hints of red and gold on the horizon. As I watched, a huge red burning disk slowly rose higher. The sky brightened with breathtaking colors: golds, reds, orange. How do you describe the beauty of a sunrise from Olympus? Everything was brighter, closer, more intense.  
  
Hmm ... does Apollo really pull the sun into the sky each morning with a chariot? Perhaps I'd ask Ares later. He should know.  
  
But I wasn't hear to write about Apollo, although I was curious about the other Gods. Who wouldn't be? It occurred to me right then that the task Ares had given me wouldn't be as easy as it seemed. Ares wanted me to make him famous, as I had made Xena famous. But if yesterday was any indication of a normal day for the God of War, then I might have a problem!  
  
See, Xena goes around and does stuff. She saves villages, saves individuals, does very heroic stuff. And all that amounts to be very exciting stories for people to read. But if Ares just pops around from temple to temple, I can see people yawning as they read about him. Oh, the fights he has with Hercules may be action, but then, Hercules is a Hero like Xena. That wouldn't work. And I don't think he's going to start the Hero bit, which meant I had a real problem!  
  
So what to do? I had to come up with an answer and soon! What I needed was inspiration.  
  
With the sky still golden from sunrise, I climbed over the balcony and dropped the few feet to the ground. Hera's colorful birds were all around me and I was amazed by their beauty. I had never seen such exotic birds before, but I had heard of the Queen of the God's legendary wrath. I was very careful as I stepped among them, avoiding their long tails. One bird fanned its tail open and joy filled me at the sight. No wonder these creatures were Hera's favorites. As I padded barefoot through the garden, their feathers brushed against my legs and I was thrilled.  
  
The garden seemed to go on forever but I finally reached the end. The blooming trees and shrubs thinned out, as did the warm soil under my feet. Stopping, I stared at what lay before me: a cloudbank. Well, it looked like a cloud anyway. Of course, I had never seen a cloud up close before so I wasn't sure that's what it was, but it did look like one. It was white and fluffy looking, kind of like a bunch of cotton. But yet misty and indistinct. Crouching down, I reached out to touch it. My hand sunk part way into the cool surface and it reminded me of walking in a thick fog.  
  
I had the crazy idea of actually walking on it, but I knew I shouldn't. What if I fell through? But didn't all of Mount Olympus float on this cloud? I knew the Home of the Gods certainly wasn't on the top of an actual mountain, no matter what some mortals believed. Why, if that was true, they'd have stubborn mountain-climbing visitors all the time!  
  
Then something caught my eye. Had I seen movement out there on the cloud? Staring, I saw it again. A white horse ... with wings! I sucked in my breath as I realized I was seeing Pegasus. I knew he belonged to one of the Gods, but I couldn't remember which one. Seeing him made most Greek facts fly from my mind!  
  
How should I describe him? The finely shaped head with the dished shaped nose of an Arabian. The pure white flowing main. The large ears that stand up straight and listened for the slightest sound. The graceful curved neck, the large black eyes that bared his soul to you. The prancing legs with golden hooves. The long thick tail that was finer then the most expensive silk. I knew my words could never describe the awesome creature before me, they are pale compared to the real thing. I only know my heart sings at seeing him, especially when he unfolds those huge wings and rears on his hind legs, his front hooves pawing the sky. The shrill whistle he sounds is one of pure joy. Joy of being free and the simple joy of just being. He rears again and this time he takes flight. I watch as his hooves move as if he is running on the ground while his wings beat the air, carrying him who knows where. In a few short moments, Pegasus is out of sight.  
  
Overcome with emotion, I sit down. My heart begins to still as I relax, the warm air caressing my skin. I'm still wearing the nightgown I had found in the closet and it forms a pool of material around my outstretched legs. I lean backward and lie down, staring up at the sky. For a moment, I'm startled as the sky above is black with hundreds of twinkling stars. Have I been out here that long? Ares would be worried ... and angry!  
  
Panicked, I roll over and find myself on the cloud. My arms sink in slightly, but I don't actually fall through. Shaking my head to get the hair out of my eyes, I see firm ground just a few feet away. Several of Hera's peacocks are there, staring at me. Their little heads bobs up and down, no doubt in curiosity. I realize I must have walked out onto it's cool surface while I had been watching Pegasus. I had been so hypnotized by his beauty I hadn't been watching where I had been going! I remember wanting to get a better look at him, feeling cool mist around my legs.  
  
Lifting my head, I see the sun still rising in the sky, the sky just turning the palest of blues. And the garden is there, with my balcony just barely visible.  
  
OK, I'm confused!  
  
It took me a moment, but I figured it out. The night sky is here, above these clouds. The normal sky is where the firm land is. Well, that's what it looks like anyway. I'd have to ask Ares about this dual sky later. But something told me that the night sky was the true sky up here and the other was just for the garden and birds. The plants, after all, needed sunlight to live.  
  
Relaxing again, I stared up at the night sky as I had done hundreds of times traveling with Xena. But this was so much better! The stars looked so close and I had this funny feeling that I could almost float away. The feeling of movement was so strong that I had to check if I was still resting on the cloud.  
  
Then, something else caught my attention. At first I thought it was the moon, Selene's great glowing beacon. But this one was red. It floated high above me, gliding through the night sky.  
  
That's how the moon would look if it was soaked in blood I remembered thinking.  
  
A pair of black boots joined me. I glanced up and saw Ares. He was grinning down at me, amusement in his dark eyes. I quickly remembered the nightgown I was wearing was almost see through and scrambled to cover up. This, of course, only made Ares laugh.  
  
Then Ares told me about HIS planet.  
  
Gabrielle,  
  
Bard of Olympus 


	3. Godly Powers

I was amazed to learn that Ares had his own planet, not to mention that other planets actually existed! Well, I had known about the moon, of course, but never considered that there might be others out there. And besides, the moon looked so small in the sky. Surely it was too small to hold even one person! But Ares just smiled and assured me it was very large, almost as large as the one we lived on.  
  
Ares moved closer and for some odd reason my heart sped up. Putting his arm around my shoulder, he pointed up at the night sky. One by one, he showed me the planets that belonged to the other Gods. Most were too far away for me to see, even from Olympus. But Aphrodite's planet was close by, a lovely swirl of green and blue. Hmmm... now why had I expected a pink planet for Dite? I asked Ares about this and he had said that Zeus wouldn't allow her to change the colors. The planets had already been there. Each major God had been given one. Some of the minor Gods had moons.  
  
Then Ares did something totally unexpected. He asked if I wanted to go visit his planet!  
  
I was shocked. For one, I had no idea what we would do there. Or what it would be like. But since I had come this far, I suppose I could go a bit farther. Holding my hand, Ares popped us onto this white trail in the night sky. I gasped, partly in fright and partly in awe. I seemed to be standing on a moving beam of light with nothing else around me but hundreds of twinkling stars. The stars were everywhere: above me, to the sides and under me. I clung to his hand as I took in this amazing sight. We passed through several white doorways, each supported by two white pillars. Ares explained that the doorways kept the trail together so it wouldn't fall apart. With these trails, one could visit any of the planets and the Gods often did.  
  
Finally we grew close enough to his red planet. Passing through a final doorway, I found myself in another large room. I saw that Ares had a throne here, as well as an altar. The place looked very much like one of his temples: swords and other weapons on the walls, scenes of battle, the flickering torches, a few statues of himself.  
  
Spotting a window, I peered out and saw a totally alien landscape. The thing that looked the strangest was that the sky was this funny red-orange. And so was the ground. There really wasn't that much to see actually, well, not in this spot anyway. Ares assured me some parts of his planet was totally incredible. He had built his temple in a flat, boring location. He also said I couldn't go outside because the air was not breathable to a mortal, but that I was safe enough inside.  
  
Ares was busy doing something at the altar, so I moved to sit down in his chair. I couldn't understand why he had a temple in such a hostile place. No worshippers could leave him donations or supplications here and I doubted if there were any locals out there. Nothing could survive in the blowing dust and sand I had seen through the window. And the glass, when I had placed my hand against it for a second, had been ice cold! No, colder than ice. A person would freeze to death in seconds out there.  
  
I wanted to understand what we were doing here, so I asked him. The answer surprised me. He said the planet was connected to his powers.  
  
Of course, I didn't get it. I mean, wasn't the powers inside him? And didn't they come from drinking Ambrosia? What possibly could such a terrible place have to do with powers?  
  
Ares turned and caught me sitting on his throne. I thought he would throw a fit, but to my surprise his just smiled at me. Actually, I was glad he didn't go ballistic because my legs were exhausted from standing on that white trail for what seemed like hours and hours. My calf muscles really ached and my feet didn't feel any better. Somehow it was far easier to walk all day then to stand in one spot! Go figure. Anyway, Ares walked over and perched on the arm of his throne, looking down at me.  
  
He explained that part of a God's power did come from the Ambrosia, but part of it also came from his or her planet. It was like how the moon affected the ocean, that it caused the tides to move in and out. Now that he mentioned it, I had never thought about tides. They just existed, like trees or the grass. Well, I guess I thought Poseidon had something to do with them, since he was in charge of the ocean.  
  
To back up his claim, Ares reminded me how the moon could affect people. I certainly knew Xena got crazy and nervous when there was a full moon! She was always jumpy and usually went hunting. I don't see why. I always thought the full moon was pretty. Hmm ... it must affect different people different ways.  
  
So, to make a long story shorter, Ares said that when his red planet was close to Earth, his powers were at their height. Then he said something about the sun throwing off this energy and the energy made this wind. This in turn gave the Gods some of their powers. And since his planet was close by now, he was here collecting the extra powers where they collected in his temple. A God's powers were always at their height when his planet was close, or at its zenith. So maybe that explained that saying I had heard from Xena. She liked to say that when this red star was visible in the sky, war came. Could Xena's red star really be Ares' red planet? I were beginning to think they were the one and the same.  
  
Since Ares had done what he needed to do, we headed back to Olympus. The sun was setting when we got back and I was too exhausted to eat anything at all, especially after another trip on that white ribbon! I fell into my bed and almost fell asleep. But before I passed into Morpheus Realm of Dreams, I knew one thing I could do to help Ares.  
  
I would name the red planet after him, for no where in his long explanation did he ever say it had a name.  
  
Gabrielle,  
  
Bard of Olympus 


End file.
